Terry is currently conducting a clinic tour of the midwest sponsored by Tom Shelly's Universal Percussion. I was fortunate enough to be able to attend their Michigan appearance last night, hosted by my local drum shop.

It was a phenomenal evening. Tom warmed up the crowd playing percussion. He played along with recordings of some popular tunes and even brought drummers up from the audience to join in on percussion. He had a cool light show going as well and everyone dug it.

Then, Terry came out and played some ridiculous stuff. He really does think orchestrally. He didn't have the monster kit, but he had enough pieces to make some really musical statements. His creativity seems boundless, like he never runs out of ideas or repeats himself.

Terry talked a little about odd time signatures and then proceeded to play a couple more monster solos. At the end, Tom came out and joined him for some duets.

At the end of the night, Terry's wife was available to sell some of Terry's autographed drum heads.

I've always respected Terry, but you really have to see him live to appreciate how good he is. For all the melodic stuff he's become known for, he can also lay down a deep groove. He hits the drums HARD, and with total conviction. It's easy to understand why people want to play with him.